Celebrating a £3 million contract

Homes in Somerset joined with councillors on Friday to sign a £3 million contract to provide affordable rental housing with development company Strongvox Homes.

In a celebratory signing event, staff from HiS, the Leader of Somerset Council Cllr Bill Revans, and members of Nether Stowey Parish Council, all gathered at the site for 16 new rented council homes on Strongvox’s land at Cricketers in Nether Stowey.

Following financial challenges for the development, Homes in Somerset (on behalf of Somerset Council) stepped in to provide support and will work alongside Strongvox and the Parish Council to establish a rescue plan to safeguard this project.

Homes in Somerset sourced £1.6M external subsidy and housing grants from Homes England and from the EDF Housing Mitigation Fund. The new affordable social rented homes will also be managed by Homes in Somerset. Priority for these homes will be given to local people in housing need, who have the strongest of connection with Nether Stowey.

The first the affordable homes will ready for occupation as early as July this year.

Duncan Harvey, Housing Development Manager at Homes in Somerset, said “Strongvox approached us with a problem. We rose to the challenge, formulating a rescue plan, which has ultimately worked. We helped safeguard the project and the affordable homes. None of this would have been possible without the mutual trust and commitment made by Homes in Somerset, the Council, Nether Stowey Parish Council and of course Strongvox. We made a promise and we delivered on it.”